Annals of Oncology 21 (Supplement 5): v172–v174, 2010
doi:10.1093/annonc/mdq203clinical practice guidelines
Diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: ESMO
Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and
follow-up
H. Tilly1 & M. Dreyling2
On behalf of the ESMO Guidelines Working Group*
1Department of Hematology, Centre Henri Becquerel, Rouen, France; 2Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Grosshadern, LMU Munich, Germany
newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
incidence
Diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (DLBCL)
constitutes 30%–58% of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma series. The
crude incidence in the European Union is 3–4/100 000/year.
The incidence increases with age from 0.3/100 000/year (35–39
years) to 26.6/100 000/year (80–84 years).
diagnosis
Diagnosis should be made on the basis of a surgical specimen/
excisional lymph node or extranodal tissue biopsy providing
enough material for formalin-fixed samples. Core biopsies may
be appropriate as the only diagnostic test in the rare patients
requiring emergency treatment. Minimal
immunohistochemistry (CD45, CD20 and CD3) is mandatory.
The collection of fresh frozen material for molecular
characterization is recommended although gene expression
profiling remains investigational. To ensure adequate quality,
processing by an experienced pathology institute has to be
guaranteed. The histological report should give the diagnosis
according to the current World Health Organization
classification.
staging and risk assessment
A complete blood count, routine blood chemistry including
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and uric acid as well as
a screening test for human immunodeficiency virus and
hepatitis B and C are required. Protein electrophoresis is
recommended.
Patients amenable to curative therapy should have at least
a computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest and abdomen,
as well as a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy. A diagnostic
spinal tap should be considered in high-risk patients [V, D].
[18F]deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-
PET) scanning is strongly recommended to better delineate the
extent of the disease and with a view to the evaluation of
treatment response according to the revised criteria.
Performance status and cardiac function (left ventricular
ejection fraction) should be assessed before treatment.
The staging is established according to the Ann Arbor system
[I, A]. For prognostic purposes, IPI and age-adapted IPI (aa-
IPI) should be calculated [I, A].
treatment
Treatment strategies should be stratified according to age, age-
adapted IPI and feasibility of dose-intensified approaches.
Whenever available, the inclusion in a clinical trial should be
considered.
In cases with high tumour load, special precautions are
required to avoid tumour lysis syndrome. Dose reductions due
to hematological toxicity should be avoided. Febrile
neutropenia justifies prophylactic use of hematopoietic growth
factors in patients treated with curative intent.
young low- and low–intermediate-risk patients (aaIPI £1). Six
to eight cycles of combination chemotherapy with
cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone
(CHOP) treatment combined with six to eight doses of
rituximab given every 21 days is the current standard for
CD20+ diffuse large-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of all stages
[I, A]. Dose-dense/dose-intensive regimens remain
experimental. Consolidation by radiotherapy to initial sites has
no clear proven benefit [I, A].
young high- and high–intermediate-risk patients
(aaIPI ‡2). There is no current standard with sufficient
efficacy. Thus, especially this patient population should be
treated preferably in clinical trials. However, six to eight cycles
of chemotherapy with CHOP combined with eight doses of
rituximab given every 21 days are most frequently applied
[I, A]. Dose-dense (R-CHOP-14; R-CHOP given every 2 weeks)
*Correspondence to: ESMO Guidelines Working Group, ESMO Head Office, Via L.
Taddei 4, CH-6962 Viganello-Lugano, Switzerland;
E-mail: clinicalrecommendations@esmo.org
Approved by the ESMO Guidelines Working Group: February 2002, last update January
2010. This publication supercedes the previously published version—Ann Oncol 2009;
20 (Suppl 4): iv110–iv112.
Conflict of interest: Dr Tilly has reported no conflicts of interest; Prof. Dreyling has
reported that he has received research support from Roche and that he is a member of
its advisory board.
ª The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
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or dose-intensive (like R-ACVBP; rituximab, doxorubicin,
vindesine, cyclophosphamide, bleomycin, prednisolone given
every 2 weeks followed by sequential consolidation) regimens
could also be proposed. High-dose chemotherapy with stem-
cell transplantation as consolidation treatment after
immunochemotherapy remains experimental in first-line
therapy but recent phase II trials have shown promising results.
Consolidation by radiotherapy to sites of bulky disease has
proved to be of no benefit [III, C]. The role of radiotherapy in
partial remission remains to be established in patients treated
with rituximab abd evaluated with PET.
patients aged 60–80 years. Eight cycles of combination
chemotherapy with CHOP treatment combined with eight
doses of rituximab given every 21 days is the current standard
[I, A]. If rituximab-CHOP is given every 14 days, six cycles of
CHOP with eight cycles of rituximab are sufficient. In patients
with localized disease, consolidation by radiotherapy has
proved to be of no benefit [I, A].
patients aged >80 years. R-CHOP treatment could usually be
used until 80 years of age in fit patients. Small series have
shown that the combination of rituximab with attenuated
chemotherapy could induce complete remission and long
survival in some very elderly patients.
CNS prophylaxis. Patients with high–intermediate- and high-
risk IPI, especially those with more than one extranodal site or
elevated LDH are at higher risk of CNS relapse. CNS
prophylaxis should be recommended in this population but
intrathecal injections of methotrexate are probably not an
optimal method. Whether some specific involvement sites such
as paranasal sinus, upper neck or bone marrow should receive
prophylaxis remains to be established. Testicular lymphoma
must receive CNS prophylaxis.
some extra-nodal DLBCLs require special consideration. Treatment
of primary DLBCL of the central nervous system must contain
high-dose methotrexate. Addition of high-dose cytarabine seems
to improve complete remission rate and outcome. CNS irradiation
is usually associated.
Primary DLBCL of the testis is characterized by an increased
risk of extranodal relapse. CNS prophylaxis is mandatory.
Prophylactic irradiation of the contralateral testis should be
considered in localized disease.
Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) is
probably a distinct entity. R-CHOP 21 is not established as the
definitive treatment option and radiotherapy remains
controversial.
response evaluation
Abnormal radiological tests at baseline should be repeated after
three to four cycles and after the last cycle of treatment. Bone
marrow aspirate and biopsy should only be repeated at the end
of treatment if initially involved.
PET is highly recommended for post-treatment assessment
to define complete remission according to the revised criteria of
response. In the case of therapeutic consequences a histological
confirmation of PET positivity at this time is strongly
recommended. Early PET, performed after one to four cycles of
treatment, could be predictive of clinical outcome but its results
should not lead to treatment change outside of a clinical trial.
follow-up
History and physical examination every 3 months for 1 year,
every 6 months for 2 more years, and then once a year with
attention to development of secondary tumours or other long-
term side-effects of chemotherapy [V, D].
Blood count and LDH at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months, then
only as needed for evaluation of suspicious symptoms or
clinical findings in those patients suitable for further
therapy [V, D].
Minimal adequate radiological examinations at 6, 12 and 24
months after end of treatment, by CT scan is usual practice but
there is no definitive evidence that routine imaging in patients
in complete remission provides any outcome advantage.
Routine surveillance with PET scan is not recommended. High-
risk patients with curative options may potentially mandate
more frequent controls.
relapsed and refractory DLBCL
incidence
Overall, >30% of DLBCL will ultimately relapse. The incidence
in the European Union is therefore estimated to be�1/100 000/
year.
diagnosis
Histological verification should be obtained whenever possible,
and is mandatory in relapses >12 months after the initial
diagnosis, especially in order to ensure CD20 positivity. Image-
guided core biopsy may be appropriate in this context.
staging and risk assessment
Patients still amenable to curative therapy should have the same
examinations as at first diagnosis.
treatment
The following recommendations apply to patients with
adequate, rituximab-associated anthracycline-containing first-
line therapy.
In suitable patients with adequate performance status (no
major organ dysfunction, age <65–70 years) a salvage regimen
with association of rituximab and chemotherapy followed in
responsive patients by high-dose treatment with stem-cell
support is recommended [II, A]. Salvage regimens such as R-
DHAP (rituximab, cisplatin, cytosine–arabinoside,
dexamethasone) or R-ICE (rituximab, ifosfamide, carboplatin,
etoposide) may be adequate. The choice of the high-dose
regimen depends on local experience; BEAM (carmustine,
etoposide, cytosine–arabinoside and melphalan) is the more
frequently used. Additional involved-field radiation or iceberg
radiation may be used especially in the few cases with limited
stage disease, but it has been never evaluated in controlled
trials.
Patients not suitable for high-dose therapy may be treated
with the same or other salvage regimens such as R-GEMOX
(rituximab, gemcitabine, oxaliplatin), which may be combined
with involved-field radiotherapy.
Annals of Oncology clinical practice guidelines
Volume 21 | Supplement 5 | May 2010 doi:10.1093/annonc/mdq203 | v173
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response evaluation
Response criteria are identical to those of first-line treatment
evaluation. An evaluation should be performed after three to
four cycles of salvage regimen (before high-dose treatment) and
after the end of all therapy. Results of PET before high-dose
treatment are correlated with clinical outcome.
follow-up
Follow-up of patients in second response could be the same as
first response.
note
Levels of Evidence [I–V] and Grades of Recommendation [A–
D] as used by the American Society of Clinical Oncology are
given in square brackets. Statements without grading were
considered justified standard clinical practice by the experts and
the ESMO faculty.
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clinical practice guidelines Annals of Oncology
v174 | Tilly & Dreyling Volume 21 | Supplement 5 | May 2010
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